The good thing was that he wasn’t actually involved in that case. The party was the first and only time they’d met. The picture had been damaging, but if Ruthless followed my plan, he’d be free of this scandal in no time.
He’d hire me and my team for this.
I was sure of myself. I could fix this disaster. I was good at my job.
Chapter 2
Jacob
My name is Jacob Donovan and I smirked at myself in the mirror as I combed my hair in the penthouse suite.
Today was step one toward winning. There was no way my father would ever succeed.
I’d win back my investors’ trust. I’d do anything to rip what he loved out of his arms, forever.
I’d taken the PR meeting as time to find the one I was looking for went down to the wire.
The picture of me had hit the news almost a month ago now. I’d lost investors just when I was on the verge of my biggest venture yet. I had zero time for the scandal that was slowly closing the avenue I needed to succeed. Unlike the guy in the photo with me, I wasn’t a sexual predator. And I’d show my investors even more than just PR to prove it. I’d show them I was stable.
Funny part was, I hadn’t expected I. Steel to be the answer to both of my plans. And she had no idea who I was. Not yet.
I checked that my gray slacks were good and my white shirt properly stiff but loose at the same time.
I was done. It was time to go and make the deal that would secure everything I needed to succeed. Indigo Steel as my wife. A woman like her on my arm would convince my investors to back me in my quest.
No doubt about it. My father was done. He just didn’t know it. But soon he would.
He had likely set up that photo problem just to throw my investors for a loop.
My footsteps rang through the lobby. My corporate team, Frank and Russ, met me by the elevators for the meeting. Neither of them knew my true plans with the public relations specialist.
They didn’t need to. We went up to the conference room and I saw her, with the same black business suit with green trim, and her hair—brown with blonde streaks—in a tight bun.
Until her, I hadn’t known buns could be a turn-on. Well, except for a movie character who wore two of them when I’d been a boy. Now that I put it together, Indigo did have a bit of the space princess in her face.
Russ opened the door for me and her eyes widened as they met mine. I nodded and said, “Indigo.”
She blinked a few times, and her face turned red as she said, “Jacob, what are you doing here?” She stood from her chair like she’d show me out the door as she said, “You can’t be here. I’m waiting for my client.”
Downstairs she’d paused when I gave my name. I thought she’d figured it out. I said, “Jacob Donovan.”
Her face turned white as she backed away. “It’s you. Fuck.”
Her team came to stand beside her, and I towered above them all. Without looking at anyone else, I said, “I’d like for us to talk, without our teams.”
Frank, my lawyer, said, “Sir, that’s not a good idea.”
Oh, he had no idea. He’d probably try to talk me out of my plan with Indigo, but I paid him for the safe answer. And since that stupid picture had come out, Frank had been background-checking every party’s guest list.
This needed to stop. I’d never let my biological father rule my life, and I was certain he’d set me up for that stupid picture to prevent my takeover.
So, my staff was top-notch and loyal. But I made us all money when I ignored their advice now and then. And once Indigo agreed to my plan, we’d all continue on the winning path.
And I needed to win.
Indigo patted her female assistant’s arm like they were friends, and said, “Yes.” She nodded at me. “Let’s talk, Jacob. Alone.”
Her assistant directed the young boy with her out of the room as she said, “We’ll be right outside.”
I motioned with my finger for Frank and Russ to follow.
Once the doors closed, I pulled the blinds in case her people could read lips. She retook her seat and I took the seat beside her.
The air smelled floral, like she’d just sprayed herself in perfume. She hadn’t needed to. I was already hard for her, but I kept that in check as I said, “Indigo Steel. I had no idea I had a meeting with the answer to my search until I met you.”
Her cheeks had a slight blush, but she shook her head and said, “Look, my team and I have prepared a plan to get out of the scandal where you don’t have to marry anyone. It will pass.”
Right. The stupid man I’d had a drink with a month ago was now arrested for sex trafficking. I’d had no idea at the time. From what I read in the news, he deserved to be in jail.
The photo seemed staged, now. I didn’t say more than hello to that predator, and then moved on.
And I hadn’t been in charge of the guest list. I’d gone to that party to find out what my birth father was up to, and that sicko had been there.
Indigo had no idea about my father, or my plan to stop him, and she didn’t need to. She’d be the perfect temporary wife. I said, “Look, a few of my best investors all promised to stick with me for my next deal, if I find a wife.”
She pushed her paper proposal at me and said, “Or maybe they’ll stick with you without you tying the knot with any stranger from the hotel lobby.”
“Not anyone. You,” I said. But I flipped open her proposal. I had the feeling she’d insist, anyway. “You’re perfect for my needs.”
Downstairs, she’d blown me away with her candor and convinced me she was perfect. And part of that meant reading this proposal, so I did, as she said, “Let me tell you my plan.”
“Sure,” I answered as I scanned her proposal. “And then I’ll tell you mine.”
I read the highlights: Good press … Quiet personality … Six months or more … Nope. Her timeline didn’t work with mine, though I was confident this would have been my strategy if time wasn’t running short on my own plan.
“I’ve run models and projections and collected data,” she said. “The good news is that you weren’t implicated in any of the sex stuff.”
My pleasure stayed behind closed doors; I didn’t need to fuel any fires against me. I closed her proposal and said, “I try to be a good boy.”
“Doubtful,” she replied, but she then leaned closer. “You rip apart people at the height of their power and destroy their lives. You’ve left a trail of tears.”
That was one way of looking at it. I made a fortune doing what I did, and I’d almost achieved my goal. My father deserved to be penniless and live the life he’d forced my mother and me to live. I didn’t even blink when I said, “I saw my opportunities and exploited them.”
She inhaled, like she didn’t like my attitude now. She gripped the arms of her chair like she was about to get up. “You’re a man of extreme privilege, Mr. Donovan—”
“Jacob,” I reminded her. We needed to get back to why she was perfect for my plans. My investors wanted me to be stable. No scandals. And a convincing wife was exactly the prop I needed.
No one would believe I’d go for either a gold digger or a debutante. A woman with a head on her shoulders; beautiful, but not vain; and who complemented my taste without being excessive was necessary.
And Indigo hit every note.
“Jacob.” She let go of her seat and crossed her legs. She picked up her papers and said, “But if we invest in these charities, keep your name out of the press for a while, the picture will be forgotten.”
I listened. I scooted my chair closer but kept my voice down as I said, “I can’t wait that long. My goals won’t wait it out.”
“The time frame is short.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “You won’t lose anything.”
She didn’t give up. It was an admirable quality. I reached for her fingers and ignored the spark that rushed inside me. “I’ll lose the opportunity that’s slipping away, and I can’t do that.”
She bli
nked at me but didn’t pull away. Her face heated but she asked, “Why? Don’t you have enough to retire on?”
My gaze narrowed. I wasn’t even thirty-five. And I only worked four hours a day. All I needed to move forward were those four uninterrupted hours. But I just said, “No. I’m not killing my business plans because I went to a party and said hello as I passed a stranger.”
She pressed her lips together and to the side as she studied me. Her blue eyes had flecks of green and were mesmerizing.
“My method will only take a few months,” she said.
But mine was faster and that’s what I needed right now. To get back on course, immediately. I squeezed her palm and electricity shot through me. I ignored the surge of desire and said, “I’m willing to cut you the twenty-five-million-dollar check you named if you just say yes to marriage.”
She licked her lips, then sat back and said, “Let’s discuss your plan then. That’s an obscene amount that I could never say no to, but it’s unnecessary for you.”
“Then you say yes. Good. Done.” I tapped the table and smiled. “Let’s do this.”
She shook her head and held my hand firmly. “Wait. We’re talking—and only talking—right now.”
Yet she’d revealed her interest. I’d win against her. I said, “Continue.”
Her pert nose and her lower lip, which was bigger than her top one, softened as she said, “But then we’re both stuck. I don’t want to be Mrs. Donovan. I am not interested in making you happy.”
Yet her mouth was slightly open, like she wanted a kiss, right now. Maybe the mixed saint-and-sinner vibe she gave off turned me on more than I realized. “My happiness, as far as you are concerned, has to do with keeping my bedroom needs met.”
She took her hand away and shook her head. “I’m not— “
In negotiations it was best to state everything you wanted up front, and then figure out how to get there. I wanted to destroy my father’s business. And Indigo was exactly the woman I’d always imagined in my life, personified. I said, “And I’ll keep you happier there than you’ve ever been, too.”
She didn’t blink when she said, “Sex doesn’t keep anyone happy.”
Wow. How had she been so blatantly used that she felt like that? I raised my eyes and asked, “Seriously? You’ve clearly chosen some bad ones if that’s your opinion.”
Her voice was softer as she said, “I’m proposing you keep your life as is and we’ll take our time fixing your image.”
Now it was time to ask, “What would you do with twenty-five million dollars?”
She glanced down like she didn’t want to answer, but then she said, “Run my own firm without paying off the retiring owner with my own work.” She met my gaze. “I like working and proving myself.”
Was that her, apologizing for wanting to fully control her own company? I didn’t even blink. There was no shame in wanting to be valued for what she did. Winning my father’s company and all he held dear was the only thing that fueled me to continue on my path toward a day of reckoning.
I nodded and said, “You have the reputation of one of the best brains in public relations. You can fix my corporate image as my head of PR. I’ll probably need your skill set once I finish what I need to do.”
She ran her hands through her hair and said, “What’s so pressing? Why can’t the deal wait?”
The truth burst out of me. “I plan to destroy the remnants of my father’s corporation. And timing is important.”
She froze in place. “Your father? The banker?”
Oh, she had no idea how he deserved this. My mother was in the grave because of him. Not only hadn’t my billionaire father paid my mother child support on time, he ensured she never earned a dime without him being able to suck it out of her hands.
Now it was his turn to have no one and nothing. I just said, “Fuck yes. And I need my investors right now. So let’s discuss my deal. We go to a wedding chapel. You marry me. I cut you a check. You start your own PR firm with my financial backing, you move into my house, and we keep ourselves sexually interested in only each other.”
She tapped her fingers on her cheek. In time I’d learn that tell.
“And when we’re not in bed?” she asked.
Teasing her was fun. I smiled as I said, “Sex can be anywhere, anytime, we want.”
She folded her hands under her chest as she asked, “And when that’s not happening?”
I shrugged. “You can work for me or run your own company. Your time is yours. But honestly, you working independently only enhances my choice.”
“You didn’t even know who I was when you asked me to marry you.” She stood and walked to the wall of windows. I followed, and through the window we could see the courtyard designed like Venice. “Why did you pick me?”
I pressed next to her, but didn’t force anything. I said, “I wanted to see your lacy black bra and thigh highs. And I could tell you were interested in your job and wouldn’t forget your work even for a second.”
She sucked in her lips and asked, “Seriously?”
I turned toward her and studied her profile. Underneath her fitted suit, I was sure her shoulders were slender. Her honesty so far was refreshing—I’d not had a lot of women in my life who kept a level head. So I was the same. “I’ve been studying women for weeks now, looking for someone who will fit my exact standards. You check every box I need.”
“I’m into work because I have my own goals.”
“I like that.”
She faced me, and though she was shorter, she stood tall as she asked, “So you want me, and you didn’t want others?”
I traced her arm and wondered if she too had goosebumps. “Yes. I want to fuck you. That had to be one consideration.”
“And the others?”
There it was. She stayed on course. In a way, she was like my mom. My mother was clear about what she wanted, and she always said a woman who spoke her mind was exactly what she wanted for me.
And meeting Indigo was almost like finding a woman both of us might approve.
If Indigo was on my team, we’d be unstoppable. But I only said, “She needed to be respectable and smart.”
She smirked like she didn’t believe me. “And you knew I was smart from across the lobby?”
“I figured that out from talking to you,” I said, and came closer. Every cell in my body wanted to kiss her and keep her around, even though we’d just be signing a business contract. “So what can I do for you to seal this deal?”
She put her hand out to shake. “I’ll do it.”
I took her hand, but asked, “Why?”
“I’m the kind of woman most people hate. I’m driven and determined.” She said this like it explained her decision. She then took her hand back and said, “Twenty-five million gets me my business—without a retired founder who gets a check for my work.” Slowly, she breathed out, and then said, “But I need assurance ours is a business deal, not to be confused with love and romance.”
“Yes.”
Love and romance had never been on my radar anyhow.
My father had let my mother die poor and left me to bury her on my own, when he could have stepped in. But he’d chosen to subject her to years of punishment because she hadn’t loved him. The courts had forced him to accept me, afterwards. Letting his son go into the foster care system would make him appear bad to his board. But he hadn’t bothered to do more than put a roof over my head for two years, when I moved out officially.
Now it was his turn to endure what he’d done to Mom.
If he’d been a decent human being, he’d have never lifted a finger against my mom. The memory of him turning his face away from me when I walked through his door had stuck. He’d never tried to be a father to me when I was forced into his home at sixteen, when I already towered over him.
And if he tried to make amends now, he was way too late.
Soon he’d be penniless, and I’d finally be able to sleep soundly.
&nbs
p; Indigo said, “Oh, and you’ll pay for every dime of the wedding.”
I took out my key and said, “Charge it to my room. Here’s your key, Indigo. You have a few hours to get a dress. And I’ll have Frank send the contract to your room as soon as he writes it.”
I was about to go and open the door, but halfway there she called out and caught up with me. “Wait. I don’t want to get married at the Venetian. Pick a different hotel.”
I asked, “Any one?”
She pressed her hand on my arm like we were friends. “Yep. Just not this one. My sister got married for love here. I don’t want to her happy memories confusing me.”
My hairs stood on its ends when I was near her. I said, “Then we have a deal.”
It was a start, but I leaned down and kissed her.
She tasted sweeter than the small chocolate candies I was addicted to. I hadn’t expected to have this adrenaline rush or feel these pings of excitement stir in me.
Chapter 3
Indigo
I hadn’t expected for my toes to curl over a kiss. It wasn’t just the stuff of cheesy movies I’d seen. My leg had started to go up before I stomped it down.
Lust was something that faded with time.
Hormones had nothing to do with love, and that’s all this was. Instant attraction that would fizzle out.
And the best kiss I’d ever had in my life. Seriously breathtaking. I hadn’t expected that, and I was still breathless.
He walked out and I checked to make sure I wasn’t still flushed from desire. Then I opened the door and called Jasmine and Ajax in.
I’d blown their work deal the moment I agreed to this crazy scheme, and they had every right to pack up and go home.
My cousin Jasmine helped care for her little sisters, so she’d need a paycheck, no matter what. Hopefully she’d be okay with the change, and I’d use my savings to cushion her until Jacob’s money cleared. She walked in first but waited till Ajax closed the door before she asked, “He’s Mr. Twenty-five million?”
Ruthless Financier (Steel Series Book 3) Page 2
